* You should see a file called BeagleBoneBlack-eMMC-image-XXXXX.img, where XXXXX is a set of random numbers. Save off this file to use for restoring your image later.

* You should see a file called BeagleBoneBlack-eMMC-image-XXXXX.img, where XXXXX is a set of random numbers. Save off this file to use for restoring your image later.

−

'''NOTE''': Because the date won't be set on your board, you might want to adjust the date on the file to remember when you made it. Delete the file if you want to make room for a new backup image. For storage on your computer, these images will typically compress very well, so use your favorite compression tool.

+

'''NOTE''': Because the date won't be set on your board, you might want to adjust the date on the file to remember when you made it.

+

+

'''NOTE''': Delete the file if you want to make room for a new backup image.

+

+

'''NOTE''': For storage on your computer, these images will typically compress very well, so use your favorite compression tool.

==Performing restore/flashing==

==Performing restore/flashing==

Revision as of 18:09, 26 September 2013

Contents

Intro

There are lots of ways to extract the contents of the eMMC to save off and reuse. I'm proposing a method using Buildroot and an initramfs such that you can simply drop a few files from a .zip onto a normal, FAT-formatted SD card to perform the extraction. There are several things really handy here, such as the ability to edit autorun.sh to be whatever script you want to run on your board at boot. In the archive, I only have the necessary autorun.sh for saving your eMMC content. The flip-side is provided here in the text such that you need to go through a couple of steps before you trash your eMMC.

You'll notice USR0 (the LED closest to the S1 button in the corner) will (after about 20 seconds) start to blink steadily, rather than the double-pulse "heartbeat" pattern that is typical when your BeagleBone Black is running the typical Linux kernel configuration.

It'll run for a bit under 10 minutes and then USR0 will stay ON steady. That's your cue to remove power, remove the uSD card and put it back into your computer.

You should see a file called BeagleBoneBlack-eMMC-image-XXXXX.img, where XXXXX is a set of random numbers. Save off this file to use for restoring your image later.

NOTE: Because the date won't be set on your board, you might want to adjust the date on the file to remember when you made it.

NOTE: Delete the file if you want to make room for a new backup image.

NOTE: For storage on your computer, these images will typically compress very well, so use your favorite compression tool.

Performing restore/flashing

To restore the file, make sure there is a valid BeagleBoneBlack-eMMC-image-XXXX.img file on the uSD card and edit autorun.sh with your favorite text editor to contain the following:

Build steps

To build, 'make beagleboneblack_defconfig; make; ./mkuimage.sh'. Output files (am335x-boneblack.dtb, MLO, u-boot.img and uImage) will be in the output/images subdirectory. The following files were created manually.